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Tawam hospital conducts unique surgery

AL AIN - The Al Ain Tawam Hospital has conducted a surgical operation for pancreatic disease, the first of its kind in the Middle East, involving reconstruction of the pancreas head without removal of the duodenum.

The surgery team has "removed a small part of the pancreas of the patient girl and re-constructed the remaining part with the small intestine and enabled the juice to enter the duodenum as usual" the hospital resources said.

According to Dr. F. Safi, head of the team that performed the surgery, "the pancreas would otherwise have been eroded by inflammation of the calculi and the precious juice, essential for digestion of food, would have seeped through the sides of the organ and would have been lost in the abdomen".

The 15-year-old Yemeni girl patient "has been suffering from chronic inflammation of the pancreas, for more than ten years, which resulted in severe abdominal pains besides malnutrition, loss of weight and dysphagis or ( food digestion problems)" he added. Dr Safi is professor of the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Heath Sciences, at the UAE University.

"Chronic inflammation of the pancreas, or chronic pancreatitis, is a common disease in North America and Europe because of increased alcohol intake" he added.

"Young children from lower-income group families in the developing world with low consumption of protein and fat and high intake of carbohydrate, like sugar, may develop this ailment with calcifications", Dr Safi said.

According to him, "malnutrition is also known to injure the pancreas and causes chronic pancreatitis with calcification of the organ."

Clyde H. Eder, Hospital Director and Chief Executive Officer said, "the 6-hour operation reflects the cooperation between Tawam Hospital and the UAE University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences." He said they would continue to work together with the aim of finding solutions to the medical problems that may arise and make cure available in the country.